Mike’s Journey

I am Michael Roman, a 19-year-old boy from Brookfield, IL. I was recently diagnosed with stage 3 Astrocytoma, which is a form of brain cancer. My whole life has completely changed ever since the day of June 26, 2023. I was back home for the summer, coming off my first year of college at Eastern Illinois, which had been the time of my life, and I couldn’t wait to get back to school. 

On the morning of June 26, I woke up with a severe headache that wouldn’t get better. Later my girlfriend came over, and she had been the only one home with me at the time because the rest of my family was on a trip to Mexico that I, for some odd reason, declined to attend. My headache was causing me pain, and I told her I needed to be in the bathroom. In the bathroom, my girlfriend heard me repeating words to myself, followed by a collapsing sound. She opened the door to find me seizing. She called 911 and got me upright to stop the foaming. 

An ambulance came to take me to the hospital, where after some testing, they discovered a large tumor on my right temporal lobe. I was then transferred to the University of Chicago, where doctors told me I’d be in better hands. I stayed there for about a week and had a biopsy of my brain tumor done. After I was released, I entered the longest two weeks of my life, waiting for the biopsy results. 

The day of my big appointment came, and my worst nightmare became a reality when the doctors told me something I wished I’d never have to hear in my lifetime, “You have cancer.” I was broken, torn apart, and in disbelief that a kid so young and, what I considered healthy, could ever have brain cancer. 

My only focus remained on school and being with my girlfriend. I had to go through a combination of radiation/chemotherapy for six weeks in September and October 2023, all while trying to take on classes from home. I completed treatment and completed the fall 2023 semester. Come January, I have made the decision to focus on my health, move back home, and complete my treatments from the comfort of my home and with my family. It’s very sad that cancer has taken so much from me when I am supposed to be in my prime years. None of this has stopped me from putting a big smile on my face day in and day out throughout this process.

TAGGED WITH: astrocytoma

Opinions expressed within this story belong solely to the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of the National Brain Tumor Society.